聯合翻譯有限公司/聯合翻譯社

Down Under Under Water

Australia is usually in the news for its droughts, not its floods. This year is different, though, and heavy rains have caused biblical flooding. Thousands of people have lost their homes, and life across the country is in chaos.

The worst rains were in the northern state of Queensland. Flooded rivers burst their banks. In some areas, waters were nearly 10 metres over their normal levels. Many people had to evacuate, while in others, people worked to build defences to keep the water out. The damage will cost billions of dollars to repair.

Even worse, more rain is on the way. These heavy rains come from the La Niña weather system, which brings Australia unusually cold weather. Since La Niña could last up to 3 more months, Australians are facing a season of floods twice as long as Noah’s.

無情洪災重創澳洲

澳洲經常因為乾旱問題而成為新聞焦點，今年卻一反常態的出現洪災。連日的暴雨造成嚴重的水患，成千上萬的居民因此失去家園，全國民眾的生活陷入一片混亂。

澳洲北部的昆士蘭省受豪雨衝擊最為嚴重，河川潰堤造成部份災區的水位暴漲十公尺。許多人被迫撤離家園，其它民眾也紛紛建立臨時防禦措施，希望減少洪水所引發的災情。洪災所造成的損害預計將耗資數十億美元來修復。

更糟的是，據估計降雨量會持續增加。反聖嬰現象是造成豪雨的禍因，導致澳洲的天氣異常寒冷。由於反聖嬰現象可能持續長達 3個月，澳洲人將面臨比諾亞更為艱鉅的挑戰。